The moment it shot forward
The lotus was almost in front of Chu Feng.
It wasn't just fast—it tracked him.
He stepped aside, using a walking technique to keep a little distance. Runes flashed under his feet with every step, faint symbols flickering like stepping stones of light as he moved.
His body blurred.
But no matter where he appeared, the spinning lotus was there, right in front of him, its flame-and-frost aura locked onto his presence.
"Tch… It's locked onto me," Chu Feng thought, his expression sinking.
He slid back again, runes forming under his soles as he shifted position, but the lotus chased him like a shadow that refused to be shaken.
Seeing this, he stopped retreating.
His fingers moved.
Runes of defence appeared in front of him one after another, like transparent shields forming mid-air.
The lotus smashed into them.
—CRACK!—CRACK!—CRACK!
Each rune shattered the instant it appeared.
He gritted his teeth.
He stacked more—two, three, seven, ten layers—runes of different shapes and structures overlapping, compressing together, forming a dense barrier in front of him.
The lotus hit.
BOOM!!
Every defence rune shattered in a single breath.
"Parlour trick", Chu Feng muttered.
He inhaled deeply, summoned his sword in a flash, and tightened his grip as his stance settled.
Black and white energy surged toward him, swirling up his arm and gathering along the blade.
He gave up on running.
He planted his feet.
He raised his sword.
"Fine."
Sword intent erupted.
"Yin–Yang Severing Slash!"
He swung.
A black-and-white arc split out from his blade, meeting the incoming lotus head-on.
The moment they touched—
The world went white.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The shockwave ripped through the entire Sword Cliff.
Stone shattered, debris flew, and a storm of dust swallowed everything. A wave of mixed flame, frost, and sword intent blasted outward, sending all three of them flying in different directions.
Chu Feng's back slammed into the rock wall so hard his bones buzzed. His ears rang. His vision shook.
On the other side, the two cloaked figures were smashed into the ground, leaving small craters.
For a long moment—
No one moved.
Only dust drifted slowly downward.
When the air finally calmed and the dust began to settle, the scene left behind was… miserable.
The cloaks on both girls had been completely blown apart.
Their outer garments were torn and frayed, with edges shredded, streaks of dust and blood marking the pale skin exposed where the fabric had failed.
Chu Feng's upper robe had also been torn away, leaving his torso bare—muscles tense and bruised, soul power flickering faintly across his skin like residual lightning.
All three looked sorry, embarrassed and half-ruined.
They didn't say anything.
Without a word, all three of them sat down where they were, crossed their legs, and started circulating their energy.
The chaotic energy in their bodies was still raging. If they didn't sort it out immediately, it could leave hidden injuries.
For a while, only the sound of quiet breathing and faint soul power circulation filled the broken cliff.
Then, as if it had been planned—
At the same moment,
All three of them opened their eyes.
While they faced one another.
For the first time, Chu Feng got a proper look at the two figures without cloaks.
They were like mirror images carved from the same jade. Their features were identical—fine brows, clear eyes, soft lips. The only obvious difference was their hair.
One had long, flowing red hair, still carrying traces of heat as if embers were hidden in each strand.
The other's hair was a soft frost-white, with a faint cool mist lingering around the tips.
Their figures were well-proportioned, curves visible even under their damaged clothes. There wasn't a single scar or flaw on their skin, as if they'd been sculpted carefully by some meticulous artisan.
Both of them looked up at him at the same time—
—and noticed his expression.
Chu Feng was staring.
Completely blank for a second.
The red-haired girl's face went bright red.
"W–What are you looking at?!"
She immediately looked down—and realised just how torn her clothes were.
The frost-haired girl also gave a small gasp, her cheeks flushing as she noticed the same thing.
Without thinking, both of them shouted at him in unison:
"Turn around!!"
The sharp command snapped Chu Feng out of his daze. He blinked. His eyes finally registered their condition—the tattered clothes, exposed curves—his face immediately flushed, heat rising to his cheeks.
Quickly, he averted his gaze, heart thudding.
From the corners of his eyes, he saw them pull fresh robes out of their space rings, hastily changing behind a half-broken boulder.
A few moments later, they stepped back out.
Their new clothes were neat and intact now, their auras stable, their appearance once more that of noble, untouchable inner court beauties.
But even like that—
Chu Feng found himself still looking.
Not in a vulgar way. More like he was looking at two familiar strangers and trying to pull something out of the fog in his mind.
The red-haired girl nudged the frost-haired one with her elbow, a smug look twitching at her lips.
"Look at him. Has he become stupid from seeing how beautiful we are?" she whispered.
The frost-haired girl sighed softly. "Sister…"
She was about to say something more when her gaze dropped slightly—
And stopped.
Her pupils shrank.
"Yan'er… look," she said quietly, reaching out and lightly grabbing her sister's sleeve.
She was staring at Chu Feng's chest.
More accurately—
At the necklace hanging around his neck.
A simple pendant, slightly worn with age, yet still intact. Its shape was very familiar to them. Too familiar.
The fiery one—Yu Lianyan—clicked her tongue.
"What is it now, Lian—"
Her words cut off.
She followed her sister's gaze.
Her expression froze.
For a second, her breathing stopped.
"…That… that pendant…"
The frost-haired girl, Yu Lianxue, stared at it, her calm expression cracking for the first time.
Her voice was soft, but it trembled.
"Sister… that's… isn't that…"
She didn't get to finish.
Because at that moment—
Chu Feng finally spoke.